I was just venturing into the world of rebuildable atomizers right before the first Serpent Mini hit the market. At the time, it was one of the most sought after RTA’s among flavor chasers (from what I read) so I bought one. While most companies were starting to make bigger, open airflow RTA’s that a lot of people were saying killed flavor, Wotofo saw a market for a small tank that enhanced flavor. Well…everyone noticed. The only tank in that class that got as much hype as the Serpent Mini (that I can think of was the Goblin Mini, but the deck was not as easy to build on as the Serpent Mini…At least in my eyes. Wotofo continues to raise it’s head up and strike out, grabbing our attention to let us know they’re still relevant.
Fast forward to now. Small tanks, big tanks and everything in between are on the market. A little tank can be super airy and a big tank can have a super tight draw. No boundaries. Matt from Suck My Mod was also a fan of the original Serpent and it’s Mini counterpart, and I’m guessing he sent them suggestions and ideas on what could have been better. I can’t say how much of his input was used, but either way… his name is on the box and it’s a damn good tank. The Wotofo Serpent SMM edition.
Unboxing:
It’s a classically standard Wotofo box with unique artwork for the product. At least they keep it uniform. I would have loved it if the background was snakeskin or something instead of neon striped balls. Oh well. Scratch and check security of course but no mention of it containing nicotine! Wow that makes me happy! I also admire them for adding info for CASAA and SFATA, urging people to sign up and support the fight to keep us vaping! Which you should if you haven’t…please. Another good thing Wotofo added to the box was a warning against using this tank on a hybrid mod, even though the posi-pin looks solid and somewhat protruding. I would take their advice…dont use this on a hybrid mod.
Once you slide the outside cover off the box, everything but the goodie bags and manual are right there for you to see. Two spare glass sections, the wide bore 510 drip tip and of course…the tank dead in the middle. Remove the foam that holds the tank to get the rest of the goods. Of the 3 bags that you get, one contains some okayish cotton, the second has o-rings & replacement phillips head screws, and the last bag held three quad core claptons… I was shocked to say the least. I figured triple core claptons would be the best any manufacturer could include with a mass produced rebuildable. I’m happy I figured wrong. A user manual is also included in many different languages but the information is short and sweet. Like most Wotofo products, all the parts were very clean. A quick wash and I was ready to rock. Having two extra glass tanks ensures that this will be a tank that sticks around a while.
Style:
On the outside it looks like a beefy Serpent mini with what looks like a sweet ultem 810 drip tip… but it’s actually a standard 510. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very comfortable to use and goes great with the overall look, it just seems like an 810 with a 510 adapter would have been better. Many of the pieces that make up the SMM highly resemble the Serpent Mini. There’s the top cap, the chamber/ fill port section, and the base. The most notable difference on the outside is the 24mm diameter. The SMM is slightly taller and the inside chamber area is visibly larger. As a matter of fact, everything is just beefy as I said before. That’s the best way to put it. Nothing’s blown out of proportion or dramatically changed…more like refined. It comes in a few popular colors like silver, black, gold and rainbow with more expected I believe. As far as looks go the SMM has you covered.
The Guts:
Here’s the part where things get new and better. A newly designed deck that lets you wrap coils any direction you want is a nice start. The deck is now elevated off of the base pushing it closer to the top. It also creates a pocket for juice to collect in the base so your wicks have a nice little pool to drink out of. The wick ports are generously sized so it doesn’t choke off the juice when using larger diameter coils. 3mm is the sweet spot. 3.5mm would be tight but you can always taper the wicks with some precise trimming. I think a 4mm would be too much cotton even though the coil would fit. The deck is made up of two wide, flat posts that have slots cut into the sides for your wire leads. Phillips head screws pinch down from the top to secure the wire. I haven’t tried a dual coil build in it yet but heard it’s possible…with small coils and patience. For single coils it’s perfect. Plenty of room and the airflow hits dead center of the coil where all the action happens.
Speaking of which, the airflow is beautiful in it’s design, and set up perfectly for single coils. Air comes in through the bottom, hits a wall, turns upward and finally shoots out of two holes milled into the post. Each post has two airflow holes that each look like equal symbols (=) giving you complete airflow around the coil. You need to position the coil so the lower air holes hit the bottom of it, while the upper air holes hit the coil directly in the center. If you push the coil down towards the base the air isn’t going to do it’s job properly. Pushing the coil down worked on the Serpent Mini because it had bottom airflow. Obviously not the case here. You pretty much want to line the top of the coil up with the top of the posts…That seems to be the best placement for me anyways. The airflow adjustment is sooo easy to turn but stays in place well somehow. It can also be removed for cleaning which I’ve come to appreciate that feature. The only hard part to clean is the space below the deck.
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